An estimated 600,000 students in the nation’s second-largest school district returned to their classrooms on Tuesday, as the Los Angeles Unified School District 2013-2014 term began.

The district wants to remind parents – and motorists – of the midsummer startup.

The district plans to open 15 new on-campus health clinics this week in what it calls “high-priority areas.” Funding for the “school-based wellness centers” comes in part for the Los Angeles Trust For Children’s Health.

The on-campus clinics include primary health care, mental health and behavioral and dental services. The district also plans to assist families in enrolling their children in health insurance plans.

“Students must feel safe on campus to achieve their best in the classroom,” said district Superintendent John Deasy.

The district asked parents to follow six rules this year:

- learn school rules for students and parents,

- learn the emergency plans for each campus, which are posted at

http://parentemergencyinformation.lausd.net/ ,

- update children’s emergency contact cards at their school,

- know each child’s exact schedule at school,

- obey traffic rules and traffic monitors at schools, and

- make sure all students entering seventh grade have had “T-dap” booster shots for pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

It is no secret that Americans are aging, but what is too often lost is that most people will need help as they grow older.

Unfortunately, America does not have a strategy to deal with this growing demand. For some, this help comes in the form of needing just a little bit of assistance in the home with such tasks as cooking meals or getting groceries. For others, it is more comprehensive daily help in assisted living or nursing home care.

As chair of the newly created federal Commission on Long-Term Care, I believe it is imperative for Americans to understand that 70 percent of us who live beyond the age of 65 will need some form of long-term care, on average for three years.

This is a particularly significant statistic given the reality that our nation’s system of care is outdated and lacks the tools to meet the needs of our growing senior population.

To better understand Americans’ attitudes and perceptions around aging and long-term care, as well as levels of preparedness for future care, the Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a national poll of adults age 40 and older with funding from The SCAN Foundation, which I head.

Implications of these findings are profound considering the population of adults over 65 will double to nearly 72 million people — 19 percent of the U.S. population — by 2030.

Counting on Family Members

For starters, most Americans today are operating under the assumption that they can count on family members to help care for them in a time of need.

About two-thirds believe they can look to their families for significant support and even more people think they will get at least some support from their families in a time of need.

However, in spite of these assumptions, nearly six in 10 are not even having conversations with family about their future desires and preferences for care.

This is not about having the death conversation — what you want to happen to you when you die. This is about having the life conversation — defining how you want to live in light of changing health needs and daily physical struggles that may emerge as you age.

Perhaps, even more remarkably, 30 percent of Americans would rather not even think about getting older at all. This denial about aging and future care needs can be of serious detriment to individuals who are suddenly thrust into a situation in which they need care and do not know where to turn for help.

Misunderstanding Medicare

Americans also have major misconceptions about the costs of long-term care and about who — or what — will pay for these needs when the time comes.

While more than half (57 percent) of Americans 40 or older report having some experience with long-term care, most are not aware of how expensive it is. Almost half (44 percent) mistakenly believe that Medicare pays for ongoing care at home by a licensed home health care aide. And more than one in three Americans (37 percent) incorrectly believe it pays for ongoing care in a nursing home.

A mere 27 percent of older adults surveyed are confident that they will have the resources to pay for the care they need as they age. This confusion about how services are paid for leads to a lack of knowledge on how to plan and, again, individuals find themselves in situations of need with no idea of where to turn for help.

African Americans and Latinos were especially worried. Well over half of blacks (57 percent) expressed concern about being able to pay for needed care, compared to 45 percent of Hispanics and 41 percent of whites.

Also, half or more of African Americans and Latinos said they worry about becoming a burden on their families, in contrast to just over one in three whites. And almost half of blacks surveyed were concerned that they may leave debts to family related to long-term care, compared to just over one in four Hispanics and whites.

The prospect of ending up in a nursing home proved somewhat more troubling for African Americans (57 percent) than for Hispanics (44 percent) and whites (40 percent).

Promising Solutions

However, there is promise for innovative approaches to solving these issues: Americans across the political spectrum show majority support for public policy solutions to transform the nation’s system of long-term care. More than three-quarters of Americans support tax breaks to encourage saving for long-term care expenses; just over half support a government-administered long-term care insurance program similar to Medicare.

Solutions on how to effectively plan for future care are not partisan concerns but universal ones, with affordable and accessible services for older adults a priority for all.

The new poll reflects a serious gap in knowledge and awareness that leaves individuals and their families struggling to fend for themselves when it comes to paying for these services.

However, what this poll also shows is that people support a better model, a toolbox that offers a suite of services with viable options for individuals to stay in their homes and communities whenever possible.

The timing for this poll is critical as our window for action is short. Americans are clearly asking for solutions and mechanisms to begin to prepare for their future care needs so that we all can age with dignity, choice, and independence.

Bruce Chernof, M.D., FACP, is the president and CEO of The SCAN Foundation. This article is adapted from an earlier version published by the nonprofit Altarum Institute’s Health Policy Forum. This article appears on New America Media’s Aging With Security page with support from The Atlantic Philanthropies.

The country’s second-biggest radio network recently announced it may cancel Rush Limbaugh’s show on 40 of its major-market stations.

This might not be enough to get Rush off the air altogether, but it’s a sign that he may have gone too far with his misogynistic comments regarding Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, which unleashed a boycott of his advertisers and hammered the network’s bottom line.

With or without Rush’s hot air being broadcast in their communities, Americans have too few alternatives on the radio dial. That’s about to change.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will soon be accepting applications from non-profit organizations to start small community radio stations. This opportunity, which will only run from October 15 to 29, is the first time that local groups can apply for these low-power FM stations in over a decade. In most communities, it will likely be your only opportunity to get on the radio dial.

In a media landscape dominated by national networks, low-power FM is radio at its most local. These stations transmit less than 10 miles in any direction, but that small range can cover an entire town, suburb, or small city. In big cities, a low power station can reach hundreds of thousands of listeners. Since only local organizations are eligible to apply, low-power stations can make radio relevant to the towns and cities where they broadcast.

In Milwaukee, an interfaith group wants to foster dialogue in the wake of the massacre at a Wisconsin Sikh temple last year. In Louisville, an arts group wants to bring local musicians and performers on the air. And on an isolated island off the coast of Washington state, residents with no local radio stations whatsoever want to set up their own for emergency response.

Right now, the status quo of radio is conformity. A few big networks own most large radio stations, and they air the same music and political commentary nationwide. The result is that those with the most expensive megaphones get to shape popular culture and control public dialogue.

Low-power FM levels the playing field. Unlike big commercial radio stations that require teams of engineers and radio professionals, low-power stations are relatively inexpensive to start and simple to operate. Local organizations can run these stations with donations from listeners and underwriting from small businesses.

The 800 low-power stations already on the air today show what’s possible. In rural Oregon, a farmworker group runs Radio Movimiento, whose volunteer staff includes migrant workers and youth broadcasting in their own languages. In Virginia, Richmond Independent Radio interviews local authors and gives local bands their first break. And in Hawaii, Radio Opio is part of a community youth center that teaches leadership and academic skills through radio theater, music, and news.

From Richmond to Maui, radio continues to be a powerful medium because it’s versatile and accessible. Radio receivers are ubiquitous, inexpensive, and, thanks to automobiles, largely mobile. According to the media research firm Arbitron, more than 90 percent of adults listen to radio at least once a week. That’s far more than those who use broadband Internet.

With low-power FM, we have the opportunity to transform radio in the United States. To apply for a station license, community groups should start preparing now. October’s FCC licensing opportunity likely won’t come again.

If radio’s recent past is best symbolized by Rush Limbaugh’s hot air and corporate consolidation, its future could be something so much better. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to make our local media more vibrant, diverse, and democratic. Don’t waste it.

Sanjay Jolly is the policy director of the Prometheus Radio Project.Distributed via OtherWords.org.

Decisions made by the Federal government often feel remote and disconnected from the lives of local families. But, for Los Angeles children with asthma in low-income families, a recent Federal decision really hits home.

Medicaid and CHIP programs will begin paying for preventive services delivered by trained professionals who are not healthcare providers, but are members of the health care team. This means asthma educators and other professionals whose services are recommended by a doctor or nurse practitioner will be reimbursed. About seven million children in the United States live with asthma, costing the U.S. health care system about $56 billion each year. This decision is a victory because it will hopefully reduce costs and create more effective partnerships between healthcare providers and other members of the health care team.

There have been many studies showing how asthma educators/counselors, community health workers, and healthy homes specialists can reduce asthma symptoms and help families adhere to asthma management plans between doctor visits. However, the ability for families to access these professionals varied state to state. Asthma is the most common chronic health condition in children and its impact on health and quality of life depends on how well (or not) it is managed day-to-day. Following the doctor’s recommendations can be challenging, particularly if you live in an environment full of things that can trigger an asthma attack, like tobacco smoke, cockroaches, mold, dust mites, pet dander or even strong odors.

So what do these new Medicaid and CHIP changes mean for children struggling with asthma? For starters, many doctors don’t have enough time to spend instructing each patient/family how to take care of their chronic disease. By being able to recommend and work with these trained professionals, healthcare providers will have partners who can help families better understand the condition, identify and remove triggers, and ensure correct use of asthma medicines and equipment. Since half of Medicaid recipients are children, those with poorly-controlled asthma will have better access to community-and home-based services, some of which have been found to save an average of $5 to $14 for every dollar invested.

The Medicaid decision might also help sustain local community-based programs working to address asthma. For example, The Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) Asthma Program could benefit from this new change. The program, funded by the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, uses school nurses to help improve asthma outcomes and decrease asthma-related school absences by educating teachers about asthma, teaching self-management skills to students and families and providing in-home case management. With approximately 77,000 district students suffering from asthma, the new ruling means improved quality and access to care for high-risk students in LAUSD’s Asthma Program.

If you are a parent of a child with asthma, a doctor or licensed provider struggling to keep up with patient demand and adherence, a community health center or nonprofit organization looking for ways to get quality and needed services reimbursed, then these changes are a step in the right direction. In both economic and human terms, we have a lot to gain from a more effective childhood asthma control strategy that keeps kids out of hospitals and emergency departments.

Dr. Floyd Malveaux is executive director of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc., and a member of the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition. E-mail Dr. Malveaux at childhoodasthma@ccapr.com

Major League Baseball still has a few months to go before championship bragging rights are determined, but for the Lincoln Park All Stars, the waiting is over.

On July 27, as family and friends watched with excited anticipation, the Lincoln Park team beat Glassell Park 6-3, clinching the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Park Metro Region championship in their division.

The championship game was played at Eagle Rock Park, the home of another team they beat along the way.

The team, made up of boys ages 13-15, was led by Coach Lico Erami and assistant coaches Adam Vasquez and Joseph Vasquez.

“The boys did a great job, we are all so proud of them,” Maria Hinojosa, mother of player Andrew Gomez, told EGP.

5pm—The 52nd Annual Monterey Park All City Swim Meet at Barns Park Pool. Competitive swimmers and swim lesson students are invited to show off their swim skills. Free food and refreshments for all participants. Barns Park is located at 350 S. McPherrin Avenue. For more information, call (626) 307-1388.

8am-12pm—AltaMed’s 5k “Run for Life” in East Los Angeles. Walkers and runners of all ages are welcome to participate in the event at ELAC stadium located at 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez in Monterey Park. The event will feature free health screenings. Registration cost: $25. For more information, call (323)477-3862.

11am-5pm—Latino Comics Expo Makes So Cal Debut at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach. Expo showcases the Latino experience in comic books & related arts & will include panel discussions with comic creators, specialized workshops for children on cartooning, comic book creation & screenings of animated short films. Open same hours on Sunday. General Admission $9; Students & Seniors $6 ; 12 & under & MOLAA members free. Museum is located at 628 Alamitos Ave Long Beach 90802. For more info, visit www.latinocomicsexpo.com.

4-8pm—Music Fest at the Old L.A. Farmers Market in Highland Park With “Calico & Severin Browne.” Enjoy the music, meet your neighbors, purchase some organic food, artwork, hand-crafted items. Music Fest continues on Aug. 27. Farmers market is located on Ave. 58 at Figueroa Street near the Metro Gold Line Highland Park Station (LA 90042.)

Announcement

The Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) will hold auditions Aug. 21 & 28 for its Young Men’s Ensemble. Open to Middle school- and high school-aged boys with changing or changed voices. Candidates must prepare one solo art or folk song and will also be gauged on their ability to sing as part of an ensemble, and should be proficient in the fundamentals of music theory and musicianship. The vocal audition also includes a written music theory test and a sight-singing evaluation. Auditions will be held at Pasadena Presbyterian Church: 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, 91101. For more information or audition appointment, call (626) 793-4231 or visit www.lachildrenschorus.org.

Where you go if you can’t make it in a regular school? Dropouts? Underachievers? What about opportunity? Or career?

If opportunity and career don’t come to mind, they should, especially if you live in the communities served by the Montebello Unified School District.

Last April, MUSD launched a new class that gives students the tools they need to get their foot in the door, or in this case, behind the pharmacy counter.

The Pharmacy Technician Class, held on the Ford Park Adult School Campus, is a 740-hour module course that prepares students for entry-level employment as a Licensed Pharmacy Technician.

The first class enrolled 24 students and MUSD is now accepting applications for the next class that starts Sept. 4.

According to MUSD, students in the program learn about all aspects of the pharmacy practice and train in a simulated pharmacy setting. Upon completion of the theory modules – including federal law, medical terminology, pharmacology, routes and formulations, aseptic technique and community pharmacy practice – students participate in a 240-hour externship in an operating pharmacy.

The program is not free but costs significantly less than similar programs at private career training schools, according to the school district.

Adult School Principal Dan Garcia says they are “absolutely thrilled” to be “training and preparing students to take on a career in pharmacology.” Garcia, calling it a “win-win situation for everyone involved,” said students are getting an “excellent experience at an affordable cost of $750, compared to the $3,000 other programs charge.”

The $750 cost for the program includes textbooks, workbooks, and student identification badge and student liability insurance.

The next session starts Sept. 4 and classes are held Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Ford Park Community Adult School, 7800 Scout Ave., Bell Gardens. Enrollment is first come, first served.

Los Angeles Councilman Gil Cedillo recently heard from Lincoln Heights residents who were eager to share with him the several things they think need fixing. One of the main topics repeatedly brought up by members of the Lincoln Heights Senior Center, where his ‘Listening Tour’ event was held, was a need for repaired sidewalks, better street lighting and additional time to legally cross the street at intersections with countdown timers.

Residents seemed eager to participate in the meeting that focused on listing priorities and complaints. (EGP photo by Gloria Angelina Castillo)

Seniors Guadalupe Jimenez, Maria Ignacia Sanchez and Eva Castillo were among the voices asking for street improvements that would allow the elderly to cross the street or take walks without fear of falling and becoming injured.

Ernest Sanchez, a member of the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council, told EGP he would like to see the sidewalks on Selig Place near EL ARCA—an organization that caters to developmentally disabled adults—be the first to be repaired. Large concrete slabs of sidewalk have been a major hazard for way too long, he said.

The Aug. 8 meeting was broken up into groups where facilitators wrote down issues and possible solutions that they want addressed.

Theresa Velasquez, a Lincoln Heights resident, told her group that transients are a major problem in the area. They are aggressive and intimidate business owners, they also come up to cars as they come off the freeway asking for money, she said.

Velasquez also pointed out that while dumped bulky items on the streets are problematic and unattractive, metal recyclers make the issue worse by destroying items, like TVs and mattresses, and leaving debris scattered on the spot in order to take the metal.

Jess Arenaz, also a resident, said he wanted to see more affordable housing in the area and surveillance cameras installed on the streets to catch vandals in the act.

Gangs, graffiti control as well as overzealous police and parking enforcement officers were also mentioned. Economic development, arts and culture and the environment were also topics discussed.

During the meeting local police and fire fighters were introduced to the audience by the councilmember and students from a new music program established by the councilmember performed. After introducing his staff to the audience, and at times going back and forth between speaking English and Spanish, Cedillo told the attendees their priorities are his priorities too.

“Stop signs, better lights, better crossing, speed bumps… these problems of public safety are the most important for us, so we have heard you today talk about public safety in a very specific way…,” said Cedillo. “I want you to know that we are working on these issues right now and we will continue to work on these issues.”

Another “Listening Tour” for the Pico-Union and University Park communities will take place tonight from 6:30pm to 8pm at the Red Shield Youth and Community Center, located at 1532 W. 11th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015